Posts tagged Breastfeeding

It’s really amazing how people really help you out when you’ve had a baby, and I am so thankful for the family and friends that I have. My parents brought me some awesome snack food while I was in labor. Unfortunately, my labor went insanely fast so I wasn’t able to eat while in labor. More on that in another post! But what they brought, I took home & ate. All… of… it. And after I delivered the baby, my parents brought us takeout. I may have scarfed it down like some sort of wildling. May have. (What? Delivery is hard work!)

My mother-in-law brought us some delicious BBQ. It made some tasty lunches, and as a nursing mom, can you guess what I did? Yep. I ate it.

And then? My friends brought us food. A couple crock-pot meals; one of them was chicken teriyaki and another was a meatball dinner; some stir fry, some salad, some cookies (which I may have eaten in their entirety single-handedly. Ok Paul had one. No shame here. Nursing makes me ravenous!), three homemade lasagnas, some cereal, oat bars, frozen veggies, oatmeal, dinosaur chicken nuggets for Nathan, a mexican casserole along with tortilla chips & salsa… Just… wow. I’m so humbled by the generosity. And GRATEFUL. Especially since Paul can’t do as much as he normally could with his hurt back. Not having to cook is a really big deal after you’ve had a baby.

I can’t believe my baby boy is already over one week old. It’s been a rather hectic week to say the least; neither Paul nor I got any rest! The transition back to mothering an infant as well as recovering from childbirth definitely has its challenges.

Nathan’s had a wonderful time this past week. Paul’s parents, grandparents, and other family all went camping this last week, and they took Nathan with them. It was great because he got a special treat being away from home, and we had some alone time to adjust to the new baby. Nathan was gone for four days and three nights- the longest he’s ever been away from us! He’s had a total blast though, but I still couldn’t wait to see him. When he got home, he ran inside and gave me the biggest bear hug and immediately started telling me all about his camping trip; how he and grandma played games, how he got cuts and scratches from playing, how he fell in the parking lot at a gas station and scraped his knee… it was good hearing him talk about his adventure! I missed him so very much.

Unfortunately, Paul and I didn’t really get to enjoy our time much because on Tuesday evening, Paul threw his back out. As in, he was completely out of commission and unable to walk or even stand. It was heart-wrenching for me to see because he’s all big and strong and stuff. He’s not allowed to get hurt.

Because of that, we had no choice but for me to be the one to run errands and drive the baby and myself to appointments. On Wednesday, I met with a Lactation Consultant at the birth center because baby John & I were experiencing some breastfeeding issues. IT HURT. I don’t mean the normal pain that comes with beginning to nurse a new infant. I mean it was a horrible, blinding-white pain that made my toes curl (literally.) I came close to vomiting a few times from the pain. Come to find out, John had an obvious tongue tie and lip tie as well. So we made an appointment for Thursday to get that fixed. Next we went to his first pediatrician appointment- a new one closer to us. John had already started gaining his weight back (babies lose weight for the first two weeks or so after birth). And I really like his new pediatrician! After that, I had to go to the store to pick up some neccessities and ended up really regretting that decision. By the time I walked out, I was in excruciating pain and fighting back tears. Now I know why the midwife and nurses told me to stay off my feet for two weeks.

Thursday, I took John to get his tongue tie & lip tie fixed. It’s a very simple procedure and fortunately doesn’t cause a lot of pain. the doctor just clips the frenulum (under the tongue) and the same thing with the upper lip. He couldn’t fan his lip out to nurse properly because the skin connecting his lip to his gum was too short. And he couldn’t get a proper latch when I fed him because the tongue tie prevented his tongue from moving properly, which resulted in crazy pain for me.

It’s now been three days since his procedure and the difference is like night and day! His latch is great and nursing is no longer agony! I am so very thankful that it was caught. I suspect Nathan had the same condition since tongue-tie can cause all the same issues John was experiencing. If left untreated, the baby can have weight-gain issues- which was a struggle with Nathan. Thank goodness it was caught in time!

Also, Paul was finally able to stand up and walk some on Thursday. Earlier that morning, he had tried to stand up and when he did, something popped in his back- and he could walk! Thank goodness! It was a slow, shuffling walk but way better than being unable to walk!

So now that all those errands and appointments have been taken care of, I’m finally trying to relax. Easier said than done. There is so much left to do… there are about four loads of clean laundry piled on my kitchen table. I can wash them & dry them just fine, but finding the time to fold & put them away is another story! Not to mention doing basic house cleaning stuff. Vacuuming, dusting, mopping. Sigh. I’m going to have to just let it go for now so I can rest. Paul’s feeling much better today. His back’s still burning and stiff, but he can get around better as long as he’s careful about bending over and such.

So now I need to just kinda sit down and enjoy my new baby. They’re only this little once! I want to enjoy this time with him… and speed my healing process!

Seriously though. This isn’t 1875. By now, everyone should know that breastfeeding is the most natural, absolute healthiest and best way to feed babies. There is nothing obscene or disgusting about it. People who think otherwise are the ones with the problems. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again- people who are “offended” by nursing mothers seem to always have an issue with the act of breastfeeding itself. Because this is America, and this is 2010. BOOBS ARE EVERYWHERE. They are on billboards. They are in commercials. They are in magazines. Hell, you see women showing off their boobs in Wal-Mart. And it’s not just boobs that are bombarding our vision, but it’s sex, too. Sex is everywhere. Women have been turned into sexual objects… things to be lusted after by men. But everyone seems immune to that. It’s breastfeeding itself that people are particularly offended by. But what they don’t seem to realize is that breastfeeding is natural, normal, and protected by law.

As most of you know by now, I both breastfed and formula fed Nathan (because of low milk supply), so I’m not one of those people who are adamantly against formula- but I AM one of those people who fully supports a woman’s (and infant’s!) right to breastfeed because it is so much healthier for baby than formulas (we had first-hand experience with this). If you are someone who finds breastfeeding offensive, first off, please educate yourselves on the matter and you will learn there is nothing offensive about it. The law is on their side for a reason. Secondly, JUST DON’T LOOK. It’s that simple.

Nathan had his 15-month well-check yesterday! (I know, it was a month late, but the pediatrician’s office we go to stays booked.) His weight and height are both in the 73rd percentile, which is wonderful because this time last year, we were having severe weight-gain issues with Nathan as my milk supply suddenly started to diminish. It took a change of pediatricians (to the one we currently have), a lot of pumping (using a hospital-grade pump) taking an herb called Fenugreek to help increase my supply, and supplementing with formula. And it took months of intensely hard work and perseverance to get Nathan out of that 1st percentile. (Yes, he became that skinny.) But now? Now, he’s a little Chub Monster with dimpled, meaty thighs, totally nomable cheeks, and a rotund belly that jiggles when he laughs.

He’s doing great. He’s meeting all his milestones. Well, with the exception of feeding himself with a spoon. We’re having issues with that one because he still wants me to feed him. A few months ago, he was starting to spoon-feed himself and was doing well, but somewhere along the way, he decided that the food on spoons is meant to be flung.

He became a food flinger.

And then he would just play with his food and bang his spoon on his highchair. It drove me batty. When I saw the amount of food in his lap, on the floor, and even on the walls, I started worrying that he wasn’t getting enough and that he would lose weight and become a Thin Man again. I didn’t want that. So I just kept feeding him myself.

And it looks like I’m not going to have to worry about him being too thin. So hey, Nathan. You’re going to have to start feeding yourself with your spoon, buddy. Even if it means half of your food ends up everywhere but your mouth and you have to go hungry for a meal or two before you figure it out. Trust me. When you’re around other kids, you don’t want to be the only kid in the room who can’t do something.